Click to read the article
Comment
01/01/00
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
89 %
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted: 53
Fresh: 47
Rotten:6
Average Rating: 8/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 25 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: In writer-director Frank Darabont's THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for the murders of his wife and her lover in the late 1940s. However, only Andy knows that he... [More]
Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Clancy Brown, Bob Gunton
Director: Frank Darabont
DVD Info
Reviews for The Shawshank Redemption
Top Critic
...itself a testament to overcoming odds. It is sentimental and stereotyped, yet we are able not only to suspend our disbelief but to root for it all the way.
11/19/08
...has certainly earned its reputation as one of the most effective prison movies in cinematic history...
07/30/08
It's an old-school melodrama at heart, sturdy and forthright and upstanding, but without a whisper of complexity or wit.
09/23/07
Top Critic A 'life-affirming' tale about life imprisonment, The Shawshank Redemption is the kind of old-fashioned entertainment that is easily overvalued in an era of diminishing expectations.
06/28/07
A passing reference to 'The Count of Monte Cristo' offers a partial clue to what makes this movie compelling.
06/28/07
I have not read Stephen King's novella (his first non-horror), but some of the movie's deficiencies, such as the old-fashioned morality tale and portentous messge about camarderie and redemption--must have been in the source material.
01/13/07
...a throwback to the kind of serious, literate drama Hollywood used to make.
06/24/06
An amazing movie. Easily one of the best movies made during the 90s and definitely one of the top 'prison' movies of all-time. Pretty much everything about this movie works and works extremely well!
06/24/06
The Shawshank Redemption works not only as an excellent prison drama, but as a metaphor for overcoming our own private prisons.
01/25/06
The Shawshank Redemption is one of those films that is a true work of both art and magic.
10/31/04
It's a simple story elegantly, cleverly told, not to mention expertly acted.
09/24/04
Freeman, in particular, is exceptional. His performance is so unshowy it can easily go unnoticed, but it's the soul of Shawshank.
09/14/04
Flawlessly acted and directed, this film packed the strongest emotional wallop out of any film [in 1994].
01/13/04
Latest News for The Shawshank Redemption
July 02, 2008:
Total Recall: RT Celebrates the Bill of Rights
We the people of Rotten Tomatoes, in order to make this Independence Day more perfect, do ordain and establish this Total Recall as a cinematic tribute to the Bill of Rights. More...
May 15, 2008:
Cannes 2008: Darabont Back Behind Bars
Frank Darabont is heading back to prison for a crime thriller that is selling international rights in Cannes this week.
More...
November 30, 2007:
Frank Darabont and Stephen King Reteam for Long Walk
Directing three Stephen King movies (four, if you count an early short film) wasn't enough for Frank Darabont. Perhaps cinema's biggest fan of the horror author, the Mist... More...
November 21, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Enchanted Leads Packed Holiday Weekend
This weekend For the first time this decade, a new release seems set to take over the number one spot during the busy Thanksgiving holiday weekend at the North American box... More...
Related Forums for The Shawshank Redemption
second best movie ever
by: Chris 7/9
by: Chris 7/9
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
 39% |
Hancock |
 83% |
Tropic Thunder |
| 96% |
WALL-E |
| 21% |
Fred Claus |
| 89% |
Kung Fu Panda |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 73% |
Wanted |
| 66% |
Chronicles of Narnia: … |
| 54% |
Step Brothers |
| 32% |
The X-Files: I Want to Believe |
| 38% |
The Longshots |
